WO2010135076A2 - Ensemble de détection pour appareil mobile - Google Patents

Ensemble de détection pour appareil mobile Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2010135076A2
WO2010135076A2 PCT/US2010/033472 US2010033472W WO2010135076A2 WO 2010135076 A2 WO2010135076 A2 WO 2010135076A2 US 2010033472 W US2010033472 W US 2010033472W WO 2010135076 A2 WO2010135076 A2 WO 2010135076A2
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
mobile device
photoreceiver
phototransmitters
sensing assembly
infrared
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
PCT/US2010/033472
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English (en)
Other versions
WO2010135076A3 (fr
Inventor
Rachid Alameh
Patrick Cauwels
Jun Jiang
Kenneth Paitl
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Motorola Solutions Inc
Original Assignee
Motorola Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Motorola Inc filed Critical Motorola Inc
Publication of WO2010135076A2 publication Critical patent/WO2010135076A2/fr
Publication of WO2010135076A3 publication Critical patent/WO2010135076A3/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
    • G06F3/033—Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user, e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor
    • G06F3/0354—Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user, e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor with detection of two-dimensional [2D] relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
    • G06F3/03549—Trackballs
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
    • G06F3/0304—Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means
    • G06F3/0308—Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means comprising a plurality of distinctive and separately oriented light emitters or reflectors associated to the pointing device, e.g. remote cursor controller with distinct and separately oriented LEDs at the tip whose radiations are captured by a photo-detector associated to the screen
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
    • G06F3/0304—Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means
    • G06F3/0325—Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means using a plurality of light emitters or reflectors or a plurality of detectors forming a reference frame from which to derive the orientation of the object, e.g. by triangulation or on the basis of reference deformation in the picked up image
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H03—ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
    • H03K—PULSE TECHNIQUE
    • H03K2217/00—Indexing scheme related to electronic switching or gating, i.e. not by contact-making or -breaking covered by H03K17/00
    • H03K2217/94—Indexing scheme related to electronic switching or gating, i.e. not by contact-making or -breaking covered by H03K17/00 characterised by the way in which the control signal is generated
    • H03K2217/941—Indexing scheme related to electronic switching or gating, i.e. not by contact-making or -breaking covered by H03K17/00 characterised by the way in which the control signal is generated using an optical detector
    • H03K2217/94111—Indexing scheme related to electronic switching or gating, i.e. not by contact-making or -breaking covered by H03K17/00 characterised by the way in which the control signal is generated using an optical detector having more than one emitter

Definitions

  • the present invention relates generally to mobile devices and, more particularly, to systems and methods capable of being implemented on mobile devices allowing for the sensing of the presence or location of items (including the presence of human beings) nearby the mobile devices.
  • Mobile devices such as cellular telephones, smart phones and other handheld or portable electronic devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), headsets, MP3 players, etc. have become popular and ubiquitous.
  • PDAs personal digital assistants
  • headsets headsets
  • MP3 players etc.
  • input/output mechanisms that accommodate numerous user commands and/or react to numerous user behaviors.
  • many mobile devices are now equipped not only with buttons or keys/keypads, but also with capacitive touchscreens by which a user, simply by touching the surface of the mobile device and/or moving the user's finger along the surface of the mobile device, is able to communicate to the mobile device a variety of messages or instructions.
  • mobile devices be capable of detecting the presence of, and determining with some accuracy the position of, physical objects located outside of the mobile devices and, more particularly, the presence and location of human beings (or portions of their bodies, such as their heads or hands) who are using the mobile devices or otherwise are located nearby the mobile devices.
  • the mobile devices are able to adjust their behavior in a variety of manners that are appropriate given the presence (or absence) and location of the human beings and/or other physical objects.
  • some such transceivers in some such mobile devices are only able to detect the presence of a human being/physical object within a certain distance from the given transceiver (e.g., detect that the human being/physical object is within a predetermined distance or proximity to the transceiver), but not able to detect the three-dimensional location of the human being/physical object in three-dimensional space relative to the transceiver.
  • some such transceivers in some such mobile devices are undesirably complicated or require large numbers of components in order to operate, which in turn renders such devices unduly expensive. [0006] Therefore, for the above reasons, it would be advantageous if a new sensing device or sensing devices suitable for one or more types of mobile devices could be developed that overcame one or more of the above-described limitations, and/or one or more other limitations.
  • the present invention relates to an infrared sensing assembly for allowing detection of a location of an external object.
  • the sensing assembly includes a pyramid-type housing structure having a central surface and a plurality of outer surfaces each of which extends in an inclined manner away from the central surface, and a plurality of first photoelectric devices, where each respective first photoelectric device is positioned proximate to a respective one of the outer surfaces.
  • the sensing assembly further includes a second photoelectric device that is positioned proximate to the central surface, where either each of the first photoelectric devices is a phototransmitter and the second photoelectric device is a photoreceiver, or vice-versa.
  • Each respective photoelectric device is oriented so as to CS36956
  • the sensing assembly is operated so that infrared light is communicated between the second photoelectric device and at least two of the first photoelectric devices, whereby the location of the object can be determined based upon the communicated infrared light, which is reflected off of the external object during transit.
  • the present invention relates to a mobile device including an infrared sensing assembly by which a determination as to a location of an external object can be made.
  • the mobile device includes at least one photoreceiver, and a plurality of phototransmitters, where the respective phototransmitters are actuated to emit respective infrared light portions during respective successive time windows.
  • the mobile device also includes a pyramid-type structure having a central surface and a plurality of outer surfaces extending away from the central surface, where each outer surface is inclined relative to the central surface.
  • the mobile device further includes a processing device coupled to each one of the at least one photoreceiver and the plurality of phototransmitters, where the processing device makes the determination of the location of the external object based upon a plurality of signals provided at least indirectly to the processing device from the at least one photoreceiver, where each respective signal is indicative of a respective reflected light portion received by the at least one photoreceiver during a respective one of the time windows during which was emitted a respective one of the infrared light portions.
  • Each respective phototransmitter is either oriented in a manner corresponding to a respective orientation of a respective one of the outer surfaces with which the respective phototransmitter is associated, or directs light for reflection or refraction toward the respective one of the outer surfaces.
  • the present invention relates to a method of determining a location of an external object relative to a mobile device.
  • the method includes (a) providing a pyramid-type structure as part of the mobile device, the pyramid-type structure having a central surface and a plurality of outer surfaces extending away from the central surface and being inclined in relation thereto, and (b) actuating a plurality of infrared phototransmitters within a plurality of sequential time windows, respectively, so that infrared light is directed outward away CS36956
  • the method also includes (c) receiving by way of at least one infrared photoreceiver a plurality of reflected light portions during the plurality of sequential time windows, respectively, where each respective one of the reflected light portions includes a respective amount of the infrared light that was directed outward away from the mobile device as a result of the actuating of a respective one of the infrared phototransmitters during the respective sequential time window.
  • the method further includes (d) determining the location of the external object based upon signals from the at least one infrared photoreceiver indicative of the received reflected light portions.
  • FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of an exemplary mobile device that employs an exemplary pyramid-type sensing assembly capable of allowing sensing of the location of an exemplary external object (shown partially in cut-away), in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components of the mobile device of FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 3 is a front perspective view showing in more detail components of the pyramid-type sensing assembly of FIG. 3;
  • FIG. 4 is a front perspective view showing components of an alternate embodiment of pyramid-type sensing assembly differing from that of FIG. 1 and 3, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 5 is a front perspective view showing components of an additional alternate embodiment of pyramid-type sensing assembly differing from those of
  • FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 in accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of the mobile device, sensing assembly and external object (again shown partially in cutaway) of FIG. 1, illustrating further the manner in which location of the external object is sensed; CS36956
  • FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps of operation of the sensing assembly (and a processing device operating in conjunction therewith), in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention
  • FIGS. 8 and 9 are front elevation views of two additional exemplary mobile devices that each employ the pyramid-type sensing assembly of FIG. 4, in accordance with further additional embodiments of the present invention.
  • FIG. 10 shows a further alternate embodiment of sensing assembly that differs from that of FIG. 4 in that, instead of being a pyramid-type sensing assembly, the sensing assembly employs a lens that results in the sensing assembly experiencing operational behavior similar to that experienced by pyramid-type sensing assembly of FIG. 4; and
  • FIG. 11 shows an additional alternate embodiments of sensing assembly differing from those of FIGS. 1-6 and 8-10, which includes a prism/mirror structure that receives light from a plurality of different respective phototransmitters positioned at respective locations apart from one another and apart from the location of the prism/mirror structure.
  • an exemplary mobile device 2 that includes, among its various components, an exemplary sensing assembly 4, in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.
  • the mobile device 2 is a personal digital assistant (PDA), albeit the mobile device is also intended to be representative of a variety of other mobile devices that are encompassed within the scope of the present invention including, for example, cellular telephones, smart phones, other handheld or portable electronic devices such as notebook or laptop computing devices, headsets, MP3 players and other portable video and audio players, navigation devices (e.g., such as those sold by Garmin International, Inc.
  • PDA personal digital assistant
  • a video screen 6 having numerous keys
  • a navigation device in this case, a "five-way navigation area" 10.
  • the sensing assembly 4 in the present embodiment is a first embodiment of a pyramid-type sensing assembly that is capable of being used to detect the presence of an object (or a collection of objects) external to the mobile device 2 (and external to the sensing assembly itself).
  • the physical object (or objects) that is sensed can include a variety of inanimate objects and/or, in at least some circumstances, one or more portions of the body of a human being who is using the phone (or otherwise is in proximity to the phone) such as the human being's head or, as shown (partly in cutaway), a hand 11 of the human being.
  • the sensing assembly 4 not only detects the presence of such an object in terms of whether such object is sufficiently proximate to the sensing assembly (and/or the mobile device), but also detects the object's three-dimensional location relative to the mobile device 2 in three-dimensional space.
  • the sensing assembly 4 operates in particular by transmitting one or more (typically multiple) infrared signals 13 out of the sensing assembly, the infrared signals 13 being generated by one or more infrared phototransmitters (e.g., photo-light emitting diodes (photo-LEDs)). More particularly, the phototransmitters can, but need not, be near-infrared photo-LEDs transmitting light having wavelength(s) in the range of approximately 850 to 890 nanometers. Portions of the infrared signal(s) 13 are then reflected by an object or objects that is/are present such as the hand 11, so as to constitute one or more reflected signals 15.
  • infrared signals 13 being generated by one or more infrared phototransmitters (e.g., photo-light emitting diodes (photo-LEDs)). More particularly, the phototransmitters can, but need not, be near-infrared photo-LEDs transmitting light having wavelength(s) in the range of approximately 850 to 890 nanometers.
  • the reflected signals 15 are in turn sensed by one or more infrared light sensing devices or photoreceivers (e.g., photodiodes), which more particularly can (but need not) be suited for receiving near-infrared light having wavelength(s) in the aforementioned range.
  • infrared light sensing devices or photoreceivers e.g., photodiodes
  • photoreceivers e.g., photodiodes
  • FIG. 2 there is provided a block diagram illustrating exemplary internal components 200 of a mobile device such as the mobile device 2, in accordance with the present invention.
  • the exemplary embodiment includes wireless transceivers 202, a processor 204 (e.g., a microprocessor, microcomputer, application-specific integrated circuit, etc.), a memory portion 206, one or more output devices 208, and one or more input devices 210.
  • a user interface is present that comprises one or more output devices 208 and one or more input device 210.
  • the internal components 200 can further include a component interface 212 to provide a direct connection to auxiliary components or accessories for additional or enhanced functionality.
  • the internal components 200 preferably also include a power supply 214, such as a battery, for providing power to the other internal components while enabling the mobile device 2 to be portable.
  • a power supply 214 such as a battery
  • the internal components 200 in the present embodiment further include sensors 228 such as the sensing assembly 4 of FIG. 1. All of the internal components 200 can be coupled to one another, and in communication with one another, by way of one or more internal communication links 232 (e.g., an internal bus).
  • Each of the wireless transceivers 202 utilizes a wireless technology for communication, such as, but not limited to, cellular-based communication technologies such as analog communications (using AMPS), digital communications (using CDMA, TDMA, GSM, iDEN, GPRS, EDGE, etc.), and next generation communications (using UMTS, WCDMA, LTE, IEEE 802.16, etc.) or variants thereof, or peer-to-peer or ad hoc communication technologies such as HomeRF, Bluetooth and IEEE 802.11 (a, b, g or n), or other wireless communication technologies such as infrared technology.
  • cellular-based communication technologies such as analog communications (using AMPS), digital communications (using CDMA, TDMA, GSM, iDEN, GPRS, EDGE, etc.), and next generation communications (using UMTS, WCDMA, LTE, IEEE 802.16, etc.) or variants thereof, or peer-to-peer or ad hoc communication technologies such as HomeRF, Bluetooth and IEEE 802.11
  • the wireless transceivers 202 include both cellular transceivers 203 and a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver 205 (which particularly can employ infrared technology), although in other embodiments only one of these types of wireless transceivers (and possibly neither of these types of wireless transceivers, and/or other types of wireless transceivers) is present. Also, the number of wireless transceivers can vary and, in some embodiments, only one wireless transceiver is present and CS36956 further, depending upon the embodiment, each wireless transceiver 202 can include both a receiver and a transmitter, or only one or the other of those devices.
  • WLAN wireless local area network
  • Exemplary operation of the wireless transceivers 202 in conjunction with others of the internal components 200 of the mobile device 2 can take a variety of forms and can include, for example, operation in which, upon reception of wireless signals, the internal components detect communication signals and the transceiver 202 demodulates the communication signals to recover incoming information, such as voice and/or data, transmitted by the wireless signals.
  • the processor 204 After receiving the incoming information from the transceiver 202, the processor 204 formats the incoming information for the one or more output devices 208.
  • the processor 204 formats outgoing information, which may or may not be activated by the input devices 210, and conveys the outgoing information to one or more of the wireless transceivers 202 for modulation to communication signals.
  • the wireless transceiver(s) 202 convey the modulated signals to a remote device, such as a cell tower or a remote server (not shown).
  • the input and output devices 208, 210 of the internal components 200 can include a variety of visual, audio and/or mechanical outputs.
  • the output device(s) 208 can include a visual output device 216 such as a liquid crystal display and light emitting diode indicator, an audio output device 218 such as a speaker, alarm and/or buzzer, and/or a mechanical output device 220 such as a vibrating mechanism.
  • the visual output devices 216 among other things can include the video screen 6 of FIG. 1.
  • the input devices 210 can include a visual input device 222 such as an optical sensor (for example, a camera), an audio input device 224 such as a microphone, and a mechanical input device 226 such as a flip sensor, keyboard, keypad, selection button, touch pad, touchscreen, capacitive sensor, motion sensor, and switch.
  • the mechanical input device 226 can in particular include, among other things, the keypad 8 and the navigation device 10 of FIG. 1.
  • Actions that can actuate one or more input devices 210 can include, but need not be limited to, opening the mobile device, unlocking the device, moving the device to actuate a motion, moving the device to actuate a location positioning system, and operating the device.
  • the sensors 228 of the internal components 200 can in at least some circumstances be considered as being encompassed within input devices 210, given the particular significance of one or more of these sensors 228 to the present embodiment the sensors instead are described independently of the input devices 210.
  • the sensors 228 can include both proximity sensors 229 and other sensors 231.
  • the proximity sensors 229 can include, among other things, one or more sensors such as the sensing assembly 4 of FIG. 1 by which the mobile device 2 is able to detect the presence of (e.g., the fact that the mobile device is in sufficient proximity to) and location of one or more external objects including portions of the body of a human being such as the hand 11 of FIG. 1.
  • the other sensors 231 can include other types of sensors, such as a location circuit 228 that can include, for example, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, a triangulation receiver, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, or any other information collecting device that can identify a current location of the mobile device 2.
  • a location circuit 228 can include, for example, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, a triangulation receiver, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, or any other information collecting device that can identify a current location of the mobile device 2.
  • GPS Global Positioning System
  • the memory portion 206 of the internal components 200 can encompass one or more memory devices of any of a variety of forms (e.g., read-only memory, random access memory, static random access memory, dynamic random access memory, etc.), and can be used by the processor 204 to store and retrieve data.
  • the data that is stored by the memory portion 206 can include, but need not be limited to, operating systems, applications, and informational data.
  • Each operating system includes executable code that controls basic functions of the communication device, such as interaction among the various components included among the internal components 200, communication with external devices via the wireless transceivers 202 and/or the component interface 212, and storage and retrieval of applications and data to and from the memory portion 206.
  • Each application includes executable code that utilizes an operating system to provide more specific functionality for the communication devices, such as file system service and handling of protected and unprotected data stored in the memory portion 206.
  • Informational data is nonexecutable code or information that can be referenced and/or manipulated by an operating system or application for performing functions of the communication device.
  • the sensing assembly 4 in particular includes a pyramid- type housing structure 240 that more particularly can be considered a tetrahedral structure that is circular in cross-section and has first, second, and third inclined surfaces 242, 244, and 246, respectively, that extend downward from a triangular top surface 248.
  • first, second and third phototransmitters 252, 254 and 256 Embedded within the respective inclined surfaces 242, 244 and 246, respectively, are first, second and third phototransmitters 252, 254 and 256, respectively, which as noted above can be photo-LEDs suitable for emitting infrared light.
  • the first, second and third phototransmitters 252, 254 and 256, respectively, are particularly oriented in a manner corresponding to the respective inclined surfaces 242, 244 and 246. That is, each of first, second and third center axes of transmission 262, 264 and 266, respectively, extending from the respective phototransmitters is perpendicular/normal to a respective one of the inclined surfaces 242, 244 and 246. Further, each of the center axes of transmission 262, 264 and 266 is generally offset from a perpendicular axis 250 extending perpendicularly/normally from the top surface 248 by an angle ⁇ .
  • the perpendicular axis 250 in the present embodiment is also perpendicular to the surface of the video screen 6 and generally to the overall front surface of the mobile device 2 upon which the sensing assembly 4, video screen 6, keypad 8 and navigation device 10 are all mounted.
  • the pyramid-type sensing assembly 4 also includes an additional photoelectric device in addition to the phototransmitters 252, 254 and 256 (which themselves are photoelectric devices), namely, a photoreceiver 260 that is mounted along the top surface 248 and, in the present embodiment, is particularly arranged within the center of that surface (e.g., arranged at the center of the isosceles triangular surface).
  • the photoreceiver 260 which as noted above can be a photodiode suitable for receiving infrared light, more particularly is arranged so that its center axis of reception is aligned with the perpendicular axis 250.
  • the photoreceiver 260 is orientated so as to receive light generally about the perpendicular axis 250.
  • the pyramid-type sensing assembly 4 can thus be described as including a single photoreceiver that is surrounded on its sides by three CS36956
  • phototransmitters that equally-spaced apart from one another as one proceeds around the photoreceiver, and that are offset in terms of their vertical rotational orientations from the vertical rotational orientation of the photoreceiver by the same angular amount, where all of these components are housed within a tetrahedrally-shaped housing with surfaces that correspond to the rotational orientations of the phototransmitters and photoreceiver.
  • the overall sensing assembly 4 operates predicated upon the assumption that the photoreceiver is capable of receiving light that is reflected off of an object such as the hand 11 even though the reflected light may have originated from any one or more of the three phototransmitters.
  • the components of the sensing assembly 4 described above can be mounted directly upon a circuit board 268 upon which other components such as components 269 are mounted.
  • the sensing assembly 4 need not protrude out far from the overall surface of the mobile device 2 on which the video screen 6, keypad 8 and navigation device 10 are all situated.
  • the sensing assembly 4 is particularly shown to be implemented near a top edge of the front surface of the mobile device 2, which often is the location of a speaker of the mobile device.
  • CS36956 is particularly shown to be implemented near a top edge of the front surface of the mobile device 2, which often is the location of a speaker of the mobile device.
  • other positions for such a sensing assembly are also possible.
  • the present invention is intended to encompass numerous other pyramid-type sensing assemblies other than that shown in FIG. 3.
  • a sensing assembly 270 is employed that has a more conventional pyramid-type shape (by comparison with the tetrahedral shape of the sensing assembly 4 described above). More particularly, the sensing assembly 270 has a pyramid-type housing structure 271 having four edges forming a square perimeter 272, and four inclined surfaces 274, 276, 278 and 280, respectively. Similar to the sensing assembly 4 of FIG. 3, the housing structure 271 of the sensing assembly 270 additionally includes a top surface 282 from which each of the respective four inclined surfaces 274, 276, 278 and 280 slope downwardly.
  • the sensing assembly 270 includes multiple phototransmitters arranged about (and equally spaced about) a single photoreceiver that is centrally positioned in between the phototransmitters.
  • a center axis of reception of the photoreceiver 292 again is aligned with a perpendicular axis 293 normally extending from the top surface 282, which is angularly spaced apart from each of respective first, second, third and fourth center axes of transmission 294, 296, 298 and 300 of the respective phototransmitters 284, 286, 288 and 290 by an angle ⁇ .
  • the respective phototransmitters 284-290 each are vertically rotationally offset relative to the perpendicular axis 293 (and thus relative to the center axis of reception of the photoreceiver 292) in a manner corresponding to the slopes of the respective inclined surfaces 274-280 with which the phototransmitters are associated.
  • the photoreceiver 292 is capable of receiving light within a much wider range of angles relative to the perpendicular axis 293 than the respective phototransmitters 284-290 transmit light relative to their respective center axes of transmission 294-300, and operation of the sensing assembly 270 again is predicated upon the assumption that the photoreceiver 292 is capable of receiving CS36956 light that is reflected off of an external object that may have been transmitted by any one or more of the phototransmitters 284-290.
  • the sensing assembly 300 again has a pyramid- type housing structure 301 with four inclined surfaces 302, 304, 306 and 308, respectively, each of which is inclined and slopes downwardly from a horizontal top surface 310.
  • the sensing assembly 300 does not employ phototransmitters on the inclined surfaces 302, 304, 306 and 308, but rather has mounted on those surfaces first, second, third and fourth photoreceivers 312, 314, 316, and 318, respectively.
  • a phototransmitter 320 is mounted along (or, more particularly, recessed within) that surface.
  • the photoreceivers 260, 292 and 312-318 need not extend up to the very outer surfaces of the sensing assemblies/pyramid-type housing structures, but rather there can be positioned above those photoreceivers additional structures such as transparent windows or walls that provide protection for the photoreceivers and/or provide additional desired optical properties.
  • such transparent windows can constitute waveguides (or "V-notches” or Compound Parabolic Concentrator (CPC) waveguides) that serve to better direct incoming reflected light into the photoreceivers, and/or that serve as lenses for magnification purposes, improving gain and/or minimizing local coupling.
  • certain portions of the surfaces surrounding the photoreceivers can be coated with silver or copper paint (or other shiny material) so as to reflect infrared light toward the photoreceivers.
  • the photoreceivers themselves can be shielded (e.g., electrically shielded) or can be "black diodes" to alleviate background lighting issues, internal reflection/noise and/or noise from the phototransmitters of the sensing assembly.
  • the photoreceivers can take a variety of forms including, for example, angle-diversity receivers or fly-eye receivers.
  • various filters can be employed above the photoreceivers and/or phototransmitters to filter out undesired light. Different filters can in some circumstances be employed with different ones of the phototransmitters/photoreceivers, for example, to allow for different colors of light to be associated with, transmitted by, or received by, the different components. Additionally, in some embodiments similar to those of FIGS.
  • a grommet or ringlike structure that is positioned in front of a photoreceiver (e.g., a rectangular ring structure above the photoreceiver 292 of FIG. 4).
  • a grommet/ringlike structure which can be made of rubber or other appropriate material, is consistent with allowing reflected light from an external object to enter the photoreceiver (that is, the reflected light will pass through the center opening within the grommet/ring to the photoreceiver).
  • the use of such a grommet/ringlike structure beneficially serves to shield the photoreceiver from light that, after being emitted by the phototransmitters, is internally reflected directly off of any glass (or other transparent structure) that is positioned in front of the photoreceiver/phototransmitters (such as the video screen/touch screen of a mobile device) without ever having been transmitted to the external object.
  • the grommet/ringlike structure should be positioned in between the photoreceiver/phototransmitters and the glass/transparent structure.
  • the phototransmitter(s)/photoreceiver(s) and associated pyramid-type housing structures can be (but need not be) mounted on a circuit board along with other circuit components.
  • the co-location of the phototransmitter(s)/photoreceiver(s) mounted in the pyramid-type housing structures in accordance with embodiments such as those of FIGS. 3-5 is beneficial in several regards.
  • the resulting sensing assemblies are both robust and concentrated (rather than distributed) in design.
  • the sensing assemblies can potentially be discrete structures that can be implemented in relation to many different types of existing mobile devices, by way of a relatively simple installation process, as add-on or even after-market devices.
  • the particular angular ranges associated with the transmission or reception of light by the different phototransmitters and photoreceivers associated with sensing assemblies such as those described above can vary with the embodiment and depending upon the intended purpose.
  • typically photoreceivers can have a range of reception (e.g., a 60 degree range) that is larger than the range of transmission of the phototransmitters (e.g., a 30 degree range). Nevertheless, this need not be the case in all embodiments. That said, it should further be noted that it is anticipated that, in practical implementations, the embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 4 may be superior to that of FIG.
  • FIG. 6 a side-view of the mobile device 2 and hand 11 of FIG. 1 is provided (with the hand again shown partly in cutaway) to further illustrate how the sensing assembly 4 with its co-located phototransmitters and single photoreceiver is capable of detecting the presence and location of the hand (or a portion thereof, e.g., a finger).
  • the sensing assembly 4 with its co-located phototransmitters and single photoreceiver is capable of detecting the presence and location of the hand (or a portion thereof, e.g., a finger).
  • a flow chart is provided that shows in more detail one exemplary manner of operating the components of the sensing assembly 4 so as to determine the location of an external object (e.g., the hand 11).
  • a first of the phototransmitters of the sensing assembly 4 e.g., the phototransmitter 252
  • the selected phototransmitter is actuated so that infrared light is emitted from that phototransmitter. That light can then proceed towards the external object (e.g., as the emitted light 372 of FIG.
  • a step 386 that reflected light is in turn received by the photoreceiver (e.g., the photoreceiver 260) CS36956 and the photoreceiver correspondingly sends a signal to a processing device (and/or memory device) that records the received information.
  • a processing device and/or memory device
  • step 390 another of the remaining phototransmitters (e.g., the phototransmitter 254) is selected at a step 390 and then the steps 384-388 are repeated (e.g., such that the emitted light 374 is transmitted and the reflected light 378 is received by the photoreceiver). If however at the step 388 it is determined that all of the phototransmitters have been actuated and, consequently, reflected light signals have been received by the photoreceiver in relation to the light emitted by each of those phototransmitters, then at a step 392 the information from the photoreceiver is processed to determine the location of the external object.
  • the steps 384-388 are repeated (e.g., such that the emitted light 374 is transmitted and the reflected light 378 is received by the photoreceiver). If however at the step 388 it is determined that all of the phototransmitters have been actuated and, consequently, reflected light signals have been received by the photoreceiver in relation to the light
  • the signal information from the photoreceiver can be processed to determine the location of the external object as follows.
  • the manner of operation described in FIG. 7 effectively constitutes a form of time division multiplexing in which the various phototransmitters are turned on and off one at a time in a serial manner, such that there are successive time windows associated with the actuation of the different phototransmitters.
  • these successive time windows not only constitute the respective windows within which the different phototransmitters are actuated but also constitute the respective windows within which light originating at the respective phototransmitters is emitted, reflected off of an external object, and received at the photoreceiver.
  • the signals provided from the photoreceiver that are indicative of the intensity/amount of light received by the photoreceiver during any given time window can be compared relative to the intensity/amount of light given off by the phototransmitter known to have emitted light during that time window, and such comparisons can serve as a measurement of the proportion of light emitted by a given phototransmitter that actually returns to the photoreceiver due to reflection by the external object.
  • Such measurements in turn serve as indications of the proximity of the external object to the respective phototransmitters and photoreceiver between which the light is communicated.
  • each of the phototransmitters has a respective center axis of transmission and the photoreceiver similarly has a respective center axis of reception.
  • the transmission intensity from the phototransmitters changes (typically decreases) as the angle between that center axis of transmission and the actual direction of transmission increases, and likewise the reception ability of the photoreceiver also changes (typically decreases) as the angle between the center axis of reception and the actual direction of reception increases.
  • the degrees to which these quantities vary as one moves away from the center axes of transmission or reception are known properties associated with the phototransmitters and photoreceivers.
  • the processing device receiving the signals from the photoreceiver e.g., the processor 204 of FIG. 2, which also can be in control of the actuation of the phototransmitters
  • the processing device receiving the signals from the photoreceiver is not only able to determine the distance of the external object from the infrared sensing assembly, but more particularly is also able to determine the three-dimensional location of the external object by a type of triangulation calculation (or calculations).
  • the processing device can not only determine the amount/intensity of infrared light emanating from each phototransmitter that is reflected back to the photoreceiver but also can compare the relative amounts/intensities of infrared light originating at the different phototransmitters that are reflected back to the photoreceiver, so as to determine the location of the external object relative to the infrared sensing assembly.
  • the amounts/intensities of infrared light reflected back to the photoreceiver tend to differ from one another based upon CS36956
  • the intensity of light received by the photoreceiver 260 should be approximately the same regardless of which of the phototransmitters (e.g., which of the phototransmitters 252, 254 as shown, and also the phototransmitter 256) is actuated.
  • the signals received from the photoreceiver 260 are the same or nearly the same during each of three successive time windows during which the respective phototransmitters are successively actuated, then processing of this information should determine that the external object is in front of the sensing assembly 4.
  • processing of this information should determine that the external object is to the side of the sensing assembly 4, closer to the phototransmitter 252 than to either of the other two phototransmitters.
  • multiple repetitive reflected light samples will be obtained and utilized to determine the location of an external object (e.g., where the processing device not only takes into account multiple samplings of received light occurring as each of the phototransmitters is successively actuated during successive time windows, but also takes into account further samplings of received light as the phototransmitters are successively actuated additional times).
  • operation of the sensing assembly can be limited so as to consider reflected light only originating from certain subset(s) of the available phototransmitters.
  • a hand tracking/gesturing offset to a side above the mobile device is enabled by eliminating from the infrared tracking any signals originating from phototransmitters on the side of the sensing assembly that is blocked as a result of the position offset.
  • reflected light originating from one of the phototransmitters on a blocked side of the sensing assembly would not be considered CS36956 in determining the presence/location of an external object (or possibly that phototransmitter would not be actuated to emit light).
  • FIGS. 8 and 9 the positioning of a sensing assembly such as the sensing assemblies 4, 270 and 300 of FIGS. 3-6 can vary depending upon the embodiment and/or the mobile device. As shown in FIG.
  • a sensing device such as the sensing device 270 can be positioned at a location in the middle of the front surface of a mobile device such as a mobile device 322.
  • the sensing assembly 270 can be implemented as the navigation device (e.g., as the five-way navigation device), such that the pyramid-type housing structure of the sensing assembly serves not only to house the phototransmitter(s)/photoreceiver(s) but also serves as a button/actuator that can be pressed and/or tilted/rotated relative to the front surface of the mobile device, thereby allowing for hands-free and/or touch-based control.
  • a sensing assembly can be implemented at either end or along any edge of any given mobile device depending upon the embodiment.
  • a sensing assembly 4, 270, 300 such as that of the FIGS. 3-5 can be implemented at the opposite end of a mobile device (e.g., near the bottom of the front surface) 300 rather than at the end shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 (e.g., near the to of the front surface).
  • the mobile device 300 also is intended to illustrate how a sensing assembly such as any of those described above can be implemented on a mobile device in which the entire front surface is a glass or plastic/transparent video screen or touchscreen.
  • blocking problems of the type discussed above typically do not occur when the sensing assembly is at the bottom of a touchscreen as shown in FIG. 9, albeit in such embodiments it can be desirable to tilt the sensing assembly slightly toward a point nearer to the center of the phone (or to use a lens to achieve such effect).
  • CS36956
  • the present invention is intended to encompass embodiments in which there are merely several photoreceiver(s)/phototransmitter(s) that are assembled to one another but have no walls or structures positioned in between those devices.
  • the above-described embodiments envision particularly the implementation of multiple (e.g., three or more) devices of one type (e.g., phototransmitters or photoreceivers) surrounding a single device of another type (e.g., a photoreceiver or phototransmitter), where the devices of the one type are equally- spaced apart from one another around the device of the other type, where the devices of the one type are all equally spaced apart from the device of the other type, and where the devices of the one type are angularly offset in their orientation relative to the orientation of the device of the other type by a consistent angular amount (e.g., by the angle ⁇ or ⁇ ), other embodiments are also possible.
  • devices of one type e.g., phototransmitters or photoreceivers
  • another type e.g., a photoreceiver or phototransmitter
  • the devices of the one type need not all be equally spaced apart from one another about the device of the other type, need not all be equidistant from the device of the other type, and/or need not all be offset in their orientation relative to that of the other device by the same amount.
  • FIG. 10 one exemplary alternate embodiment of a sensing assembly 350 is shown in FIG. 10.
  • the sensing assembly 350 like the sensing assembly 270 of FIG. 4 has four phototransmitters 352 spaced around a single photoreceiver 354.
  • the CS36956 in contrast to the sensing assembly 270, the CS36956
  • phototransmitters 352 each are vertically oriented so as to have center axes of transmission that are parallel to the center axis of reception of the photoreceiver 354. That is, the phototransmitters 352 are not at all offset in their rotational orientation relative to the photoreceiver. Further, a housing 356 within which the phototransmitters 352 and photoreceiver 354 are supported does not necessarily have a pyramidal shape with any inclined surfaces.
  • the sensing assembly 350 nonetheless is able to transmit light and receive reflected light (as reflected by an external object) as if the phototransmitters were rotationally offset relative to the photoreceiver insofar as the sensing assembly 350 additionally includes a pyramid-shaped lens or prism 358 (or possibly multiple lenses in a pyramid-type shape) provided atop the phototransmitters and photoreceiver (or possibly only over one or more of those devices) that refracts/bends the transmitted exiting the sensing assembly/lens and/or refracts/bends the received light incident upon the sensing assembly/lens, such that the overall transmission and reception of light out of and into the sensing assembly proceeds in substantially the same manner as is experienced by the sensing assembly 270.
  • a pyramid-shaped lens or prism 358 or possibly multiple lenses in a pyramid-type shape
  • the lens 358 can be microfilm for beam bending, particularly if the involved angles are small (e.g., 10 to 5 degrees) and the photo-LEDs have relatively narrow transmission ranges (e.g., plus or minus 30 degrees).
  • the lens 358 is shown to be of a pyramid-type form that includes four inclined sides sloping away from a tip of the lens (in this case, this tip can be considered a central surface of the lens), in other embodiments, the lens can take a form that is more similar to that of the pyramid-type structures described above in relation to FIGS. 3-5, in which the tip portion of the pyramid is missing such that there exists a central surface that is more extensive (e.g., such as the top surfaces 248, 282 and 310) away from which the inclined surfaces slope.
  • the present invention further is intended to encompass additional embodiments of sensing assemblies that are particularly useful for implementation in certain types of mobile devices.
  • a further sensing assembly 360 is shown to be implemented in relation to a glass (or transparent plastic) video screen or touchscreen 362 as is common in certain types of mobile devices, CS36956
  • the sensing assembly 360 includes four transceivers 364, each of which includes a respective phototransmitter and a respective photoreceiver, and the respective transceivers are respectively positioned at the midpoints of each of the four side edges of the screen 362, respectively.
  • the sensing assembly 360 also includes a pyramid-type formation 366 that is formed as part of (or positioned just beneath) the screen 362.
  • the pyramid-type formation 366 includes four inclined surfaces 368 extending from the four sides of a square top (horizontal) surface 370, where each of the inclined surfaces slopes downwardly from the top surface towards one of the respective edges of the screen 362.
  • the sensing assembly 360 of FIG. 11 operates as follows. In a first manner of operation, light is transmitted from each of the phototransmitters of the respective transceivers 364 via respective optical waveguides 363 through the screen 362 (or just beneath the screen, parallel to its surface) toward the respective one of the inclined surfaces 368 closest to that respective transceiver. Upon reaching the inclined surfaces, the light is reflected outward from the sensing assembly 360 (and thus from the mobile device on which it is implemented) at various angles depending upon the slopes of the inclined surfaces 368, with the light transmission being centered about respective center axes of transmission 370.
  • transmitted light emanates from the sensing assembly 360 in much the same manner as if the light had been emitted directly from phototransmitters arranged along the sides of a pyramid-type structure as shown in FIG. 4.
  • the light can then be reflected off of an external object such as the hand 11 of FIG. 1. Portions of the reflected light eventually are received by one or more of the photoreceivers associated with the respective transceivers 364, and thereby the reflected light is sensed.
  • the sensing assembly 360 is also possible.
  • the inclined surfaces 368 of the pyramid-type formation 366 instead are intended to reflect incoming reflected light back toward the transceivers 364, at which are located respective photoreceivers.
  • the phototransmitters of the transceivers 364 can be configured to transmit light directly CS36956
  • transceivers rather than employing four transceivers that each have a respective phototransmitter and a respective photoreceiver, only four phototransmitters or four photoreceivers are provided at the locations of the transceivers 364 shown in FIG. 11.
  • a photoreceiver can be positioned along the top surface of the pyramid- type formation and, where four photoreceivers are positioned at the edges of the screen, a phototransmitter can be positioned along the top surface of the pyramid-type formation.
  • each of the embodiments described above in relation to FIG. 11 are particularly advantageous insofar as they allow for the use of a pyramid-type formation such as the pyramid-type formation 366 having a height that is considerably less than the heights of the pyramid-type formations of the sensing assemblies 4, 270, 300 described above.
  • a pyramid-type formation such as the pyramid-type formation 366 having a height that is considerably less than the heights of the pyramid-type formations of the sensing assemblies 4, 270, 300 described above.
  • the pyramid-type formation 366 can be transparent and thus substantially the same in appearance as the remainder of the screen 362.
  • pyramid-type formations such as the formation 366 can be particularly advantageous for use in mobile devices where it is desired that the front surface of the device be a large flat video screen or touchscreen, uninterrupted by bumps or regions where the video screen or touchscreen is unable to display information.
  • FIGS. 10-11 it should be noted with respect to the sensing assembly embodiments of FIGS. 10-11 that, even though the structures employed are different to some extent than those shown in FIGS. 1-6, each of these embodiments nevertheless can be operated in essentially the same manner as is described with reference to FIG. 7. Further, although the lens 358 of FIG. 10 and the pyramid-type formation 366 of FIG. 11 are four-sided pyramid-type structures, in other embodiments other pyramid-type structures (e.g., tetradhedral structures) can also be employed. [0061] Notwithstanding the above discussion, the present invention is intended to encompass numerous other embodiments as well. For example, in some other CS36956
  • the sensing assembly is intended to be mounted to a mobile device in a fixed/stationary manner, which can be advantageous since such manner of mounting can be easily achieved without the need for many complicated components
  • the sensing assembly is mounted to a mobile device in a tiltable, rotational, or translatable manner to allow for tilting, rotation and/or translation of the sensing assembly relative to the remainder of the mobile device (typically, such tilting, rotation and/or translation would be limited in nature, e.g., as discussed above in the example where the sensing assembly serves as the navigation device).
  • the photoreceiver (photodiode) is placed inside the pyramid-type structure (e.g., at the center of the structure), in alternate embodiments the photoreceiver (photodiode) can be positioned on top of or outside of the pyramid-type structure or its center.
  • infrared sensing assembly being implemented on a given mobile device
  • multiple infrared sensing assemblies will be implemented on a given mobile device.
  • two sensing assemblies positioned on diametrically-opposed outer surfaces of the mobile device can be employed so as to allow for the detection of the presence and location of external objects on both sides of the mobile device.
  • the particular tetrahedron and four-sided pyramid structures are described above, it should be understood that other embodiments employing similar structures having multiple inclined surfaces and the like are also encompassed within the present invention.
  • the bending/refracting of light can also be achieved by having an optical diode placed in a tilted package, or having a tilted lens attached to it (indeed, CS36956
  • an infrared photo-LED or photodiode for use as a phototransmitter or photoreceiver will be manufactured by a vendor with such tilted characteristics, which can for example be referred to as “top shoot”, “side shoot”, or “tilted shoot”, among other things).
  • the sensing assembly will be implemented in conjunction with a mobile device or other device, where the mobile device or other device will include the processing device(s) and/or other components appropriate for controlling actuation of the phototransmitter(s) of the sensing assembly, for receiving signals indicative of the receiving of reflected light by the photoreceiver(s), and for determining the presence and location of external object(s) based upon those received signals
  • the sensing assembly will itself include processing device(s) and/or other components as are appropriate (e.g., memory device(s), battery/power source device(s), and input/output terminal(s), etc.) for allowing the sensing assembly to operate by itself in terms of controlling the actuation of its phototransmitter(s), monitoring the operation of its photoreceiver(s), making presence/location determinations, and communicating such presence/location information to other external devices or locations.
  • the sensing assembly itself has one or more terminals/ports/interface devices suitable for allowing the sensing assembly to communicate with remote devices via wired or wireless networks including by way of internet-type networks.
  • Embodiments of the present invention allow for a mobile device, with an appropriate sensing assembly, to achieve beneficial manners of operation based upon the information obtained regarding the presence and location of external object(s). For example, in some mobile devices such as cellular telephones, the presence and location of a human user's phone is of interest and can be used to govern or influence one or more operations of the telephones.
  • a sensing assembly such as those described above can allow a mobile device such as a cellular telephone to detect whether a human user's hand or ear are proximate a right side of a phone or a left side of a phone, and thereby allow for according adjustments to phone operation. Further for example, the volume of a phone speaker can be automatically adjusted based upon the sensed position of a human user's head. Sensing assemblies CS36956
  • a mobile device can sense and recognize hand gestures that signify user selections or commands.
  • sensed movement of a finger of a human user above the front surface of a mobile device can signify a command by the human user that an image or content displayed on the mobile device be frozen (e.g., to facilitate sending or sharing of the image/content), changed, free/selected (e.g., that a page of information be turned so that a different page of information is displayed), shared, etc., or that a cursor displayed on a screen be moved (e.g., a command such as that often provided by a "mouse"), or that a zoom level or pan setting regarding an image (e.g., a map) be modified.
  • infrared gesturing can serve as a substitute for a touchscreen, where a user need not actually touch the surface of the mobile device to execute a command (albeit the system can still be implemented in a manner that also allows for commands to be recognized when touching does occur).
  • a user need not actually touch the surface of the mobile device to execute a command (albeit the system can still be implemented in a manner that also allows for commands to be recognized when touching does occur).
  • different hand movements or repeated hand movements sensed by way of the sensing assembly of a mobile device can be understood as constituting a first command that a particular variable operational characteristic be selected (e.g., that a volume control icon appear on the video screen of the mobile device) followed by a second command that a setting of the variable operational characteristic be modified (e.g., that the volume be set to a particular level).
  • a particular variable operational characteristic e.g., that a volume control icon appear on the video screen of the mobile device
  • a setting of the variable operational characteristic be modified e.g., that the volume be set to a particular level
  • a horizontal-plane gesture can be followed by a vertical-plane gesture as an indication of particular commands. Further for example, using such gestures, the horizontal gesture could precipitate a CS36956
  • volume (or zoom) adjustor icon to become available while the vertical gesture could in fact cause adjustment in the volume (or zoom) to a desire level.
  • the failure of a second or successive hand movement to occur can be interpreted as a command that some other action be taken (e.g., that a cursor or image be recentered or otherwise repositioned).
  • One example of operation encompassing a number of the above-described considerations would be as follows. Suppose a user placed a hand approximately six inches above a touchscreen and to the right side of a cellular telephone on which an infrared sensing assembly was provided. Immediately, in this instance, the phone might respond by placing a cursor on the right side edge of the touchscreen corresponding to the hand location.
  • the phone might further act to re- center/map the cursors to the middle of the touchscreen (corresponding to the hand being near the right side of the phone).
  • the phone might operate to track the hand by operating the sensing assembly so that only certain portions of reflected light (e.g., as generated by certain ones of the phototransmitters, for example, three out of four of the phototransmitters of the sensing assembly of FIG. 4, but not the phototransmitter pointing toward the left side of the phone) were considered.
  • the operation of existing other sensors of a mobile device can be coordinated with the operation of an infrared sensing assembly such as those described above.
  • an infrared sensing assembly such as those described above.
  • a variety of other sensors in addition to an infrared sensing assembly can be utilized in detecting commands in a navigation mode of operation and/or to adjust an infrared range accordingly in switching between an infrared sensing mode of operation and a touch- based mode of operation.
  • navigation can be achieved by a hand gesture above the sensing assembly (not touching the sensing assembly), followed by pressing of the center of the navigation device to achieve selection.
  • infrared reception would go from a maximum level (where the finger was near the sensing assembly) to a minimum level (where the finger blocks reception entirely), and such a maximum to minimum occurrence would be interpreted as constituting a selection input.
  • a tap as sensed by another sensor could then precipitate the mobile device's anticipating an imminent user command that would be sensed via the infrared sensing assembly.
  • sliding of an external object such as a finger directly along the sensing assembly (involving touching) can be recognized as a command.
  • a mobile device implementing a sensing assembly such as those described above can be operated so as to recognize the proximity of a surface (e.g., a desktop) to the mobile device, such that the mobile device when positioned and moved over the surface can be utilized as a mouse.
  • a surface e.g., a desktop
  • mouse-type commands can also be provided to the mobile device.
  • it can be particularly desirable to utilize phototransmitters having narrow angular ranges of transmission to allow for high sensitivity in detecting the tilting of a user's hand.
  • operation of the sensing assembly itself can be controlled based upon sensed information concerning the location of external object(s).
  • the sampling rate e.g., in terms of the frequency with which the various phototransmitters of a sensing assembly such as the sensing assembly 4 are actuated to emit light
  • the sampling rate can be modified based upon the proximity of the user, so as to adjust the sensitivity of the location detection based upon the proximity of the user.
  • the different phototransmitters of a given sensing assembly will be actuated in succession rather than successively, in some cases it may be desirable to actuate all of the phototransmitters simultaneously to increase the overall intensity of the light emitted by the sensing assembly, which can increase the overall amount of reflected light that makes its way back to the photoreceiver and thereby make it possible to sense the proximity of an external object even though the object is a fairly large distance away from the sensing assembly.
  • the CS36956 range of proximity detection of a sensing assembly can be increased from six inches where the phototransmitters are successively actuated to two feet where all of the phototransmitters are actuated simultaneously (this can be referred to as "super-range proximity detection").

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Abstract

La présente invention concerne un ensemble de détection à infrarouge (4, 270, 300, 350, 360) permettant la détection de l'emplacement d'un objet externe (11), ainsi qu'un appareil mobile (2, 322, 324) utilisant un tel ensemble et des procédés de fonctionnement associés, entre autres choses. Dans un mode de réalisation donné à titre d'exemple, l'ensemble de détection (4, 270, 300, 350, 360) comprend une structure de logement de type pyramidal (240, 271, 301, 358) présentant une surface centrale (248, 282, 310, 370) et de multiples surfaces externes (242, 244, 246, 274, 276, 278, 280, 302, 304, 306, 308, 368), chacune s'étendant de manière inclinée à l'opposé de la surface centrale. L'ensemble de détection (4, 270, 300, 350, 360) comprend en outre de multiples phototransmetteurs (252, 254, 256, 284, 286, 288, 290, 320), chacun étant positionné à proximité d'une surface respective parmi les surfaces externes (242, 244, 246, 274, 276, 278, 280, 302, 304, 306, 308, 368), et un photorécepteur (260, 292, 312, 314, 316, 318) positionné à proximité de la surface centrale (248, 282, 310, 370), chaque dispositif photoélectrique respectif (252, 254, 256, 284, 286, 288, 290, 312, 314, 316, 318, 352, 364, 260, 290, 320, 354) étant orienté de façon à correspondre à sa surface respective. L'ensemble de détection (4, 270, 300, 350, 360) est actionné de sorte que la lumière (13, 15, 372, 374, 376, 378) soit émise depuis les phototransmetteurs (252, 254, 256, 284, 286, 288, 290, 320), réfléchie par l'objet et reçue par le photorécepteur (260, 292, 312, 314, 316, 318). En traitant les signaux du photorécepteur qui indiquent la lumière reçue, l'emplacement de l'objet externe (11) est déterminé.
PCT/US2010/033472 2009-05-22 2010-05-04 Ensemble de détection pour appareil mobile Ceased WO2010135076A2 (fr)

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